Student Affairs Sustainability Teamhttp://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/
A place to share sustainabilty news and resources with faculty, staff and students.en-usCopyright 2012Thu, 11 Oct 2012 10:22:52 -0500http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specificationHUB Terracycle Shipment! Another Terracycle shipment from the HUB! 6 boxes collected since August! The last shipment from August netted 4620 points which translates to $46.20 for THON. We diverted 3045 pieces of trash from the landfills.

University Park. PA. - The HUB-Robeson Galleries will display Julie Tremblay's nine, life-size, figurative sculptures, made out of salvaged, stamped-out sheets of tin plated steel, used to make bottle caps, in the HUB Gallery. The sculptures are a reflection on humanity and our contemporary society. This body of work shown in the gallery was started in 2007 and completed in 2008. There will be a public reception on October 12 from 5 - 7 pm.

All along, Tremblay had been very interested in gesture, symbolism and the power of metaphors. The works, in their lightness, challenge conceptions of traditional sculpture. They contain many ambiguities; they are as much air as they are material, the space not exclusively contained to the exterior of the sculpture, but continued inside. Although they are figurative, they also contain an abstraction. Formal and sculptural themes are also very important in her work, such as balance, density, lightness, the intangible, order and chaos, dynamism, etc, which become metaphors of social themes and mental states.

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For more information about this and other exhibits, visit the HUB-Robeson Galleries website at studentaffairs.psu.edu/hub/artgalleries.

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http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/09/art-with-recycled-products-in-the-hub.htmlartrecycled artMon, 17 Sep 2012 16:50:08 -0500'Sustainable Sites' initiative creates new vision for building and open space landscapingJust as LEED certification is beginning to transform
every aspect of new building construction, I look forward to significant
changes to building landscaping and open space development that will
prevent runoff, manage water resources prudently and take advantage of
native plant species. The guiding principles from the Sustainable Sites
project are particularly worth noting - they call for a renewed focus on
doing no harm in site development, working with nature, and
preservation, conservation and regeneration.

Here is how the project began:

"This effort began as separate projects of the Sustainable Design and
Development Professional Practice Network of the American Society of
Landscape Architects (ASLA) and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
In 2005, the two groups joined forces to hold a Sustainable Sites
Summit in Austin, Texas.

In 2006, the United States Botanical Garden (USBG) joined as a major
partner in the
Initiative. A Steering Committee representing 11 stakeholder groups
was selected to guide the Initiative. More than 30 experts are now on
Technical Subcommittees developing sustainable benchmarks for soils,
hydrology, vegetation, human health and well-being and materials
selection. These subcommittees
are developing the technical foundation for the Guidelines and
Performance Benchmarks. The first interim report - the "Preliminary
Report" - was released
in November 2007."

Here is the main site: http://www.sustainablesites.org/

Guidelines for sustainable landscape architecture can be found at http://www.sustainablesites.org/products/ ]]>http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/08/sustainable-sites-initiative-creates-new-vision-for-building-and-open-space-landscaping.html
http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/08/sustainable-sites-initiative-creates-new-vision-for-building-and-open-space-landscaping.htmlEducating staff on green initiativesWater useMon, 27 Aug 2012 12:36:41 -0500Do we really need it?I just read an article titled "16 things we don't need" and thought I would share.

The HUB Green Team and some other staff at the HUB have been having discussions about whether people REALLY know there is recycling in the building. As a staff, we ALL know where the containers are and what they look like! We, as a staff, discuss recycling regularly and most participate in this effort as well ascomposting in our offices. BUT we are finding that visitors and students in the building might not KNOW that we have recycling available.

We have beautiful handcrafted recycling bins throughout the building made by OPP but we aren't sure people realize what they are. This is our first attempt to make them aware that these are recycling bins! :) What do you think?

Our next move is to add backsplashes to each with labels so that it is clear what goes in each recepticle. Then, working on putting them in strategic places. Stay tuned for more pictures and more updates.

*** Do you know what movie the above quote came from? "Get the Picture?"

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http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/07/get-the-picture.htmlgreengreen teamHUBHUB StaffrecyclingMon, 09 Jul 2012 12:09:39 -0500FTCAP EducationCheck out our idea of educating those attending FTCAP! Interesting facts and some basic education for parents and students while they are waiting to register in the morning. Our mission was to create a very simple message to alert visitors that recycling is available in the HUB. A color-coded map with the location of the recycling bins on the first floor is on the table. A map and poster was placed on the ground floor as well.

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http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/07/ftcap-education.htmlWaste reductioneducationGreengreen educationGreen TeamHUBrecyclingMon, 09 Jul 2012 11:53:41 -0500Green HandwashingOur EMS students recently put together a video on how to wash your hands with an eye to sustainability. Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-XhnfMWL0w&feature=youtu.be

University Health Services (UHS) staff shared their sustainability efforts at the annual American College Health Association (ACHA) conference held in Chicago May 28 - June 1. "Sustainability Challenges in Health Care" highlighted efforts to increase composting and recycling within the Student Health Center and provided examples of efforts within the clinical services department. The presentation also provided ideas for motivating staff, achieving increased energy efficiency, infection control considerations and resources available to help other student health centers increase their sustainability efforts.

The Student Health Center recycling rate in September 2011 was 55.4 percent of the total trash produced. Previous waste audits showed recycling rates of 39.4 percent (2010) and 27.6 percent (2009). Energy audit results for 2011 totaled 760,894 Kilowatt hours (KWh) used at the health center. The number of KWh hours of energy used in previous years were 862,511 (2010) and 980,896 (2009).

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http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/06/uhs-team-presents-on-sustainability-efforts.htmlEducating staff on green initiativesEnergy useWaste reductionStudent_Health_CenterTue, 05 Jun 2012 09:09:11 -0500Light Step, Right StepThe Light Step, Right Step festival will happen in State College for the first time this September
and is a celebration of sustainability efforts, community groups and businesses
in the Centre Region. The Borough is hoping to make this more than just an 'expo'
type of event by including demonstrations by community and student
groups, music and food, activites for children and even screen a relatively new
documentary called Carbon Nation. They have started inviting
community groups to participate in the exhibit portion of the event and are now
starting to collect ideas for groups that could do interactive portions and
local performers that might be interested in playing for a portion of the
day. If you want to check out the information for the event, we've put
together a website and facebook for the festival: http://www.lightsteprightstep.org/.
And if you have any ideas for musicians or other groups that might be
interested in participating, they would love to hear them. ]]>http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/05/light-step-right-step-1.html
http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/05/light-step-right-step-1.htmlGreen livingSustainabilityFri, 04 May 2012 16:07:35 -0500Light Step, Right StepThe Light Step, Right Step festival will happen in State College for the first time this September
and is a celebration of sustainability efforts, community groups and businesses
in the Centre Region. The Borough is hoping to make this more than just an 'expo'
type of event by including demonstrations by community and student
groups, music and food, activites for children and even screen a relatively new
documentary called Carbon Nation. They have started inviting
community groups to participate in the exhibit portion of the event and are now
starting to collect ideas for groups that could do interactive portions and
local performers that might be interested in playing for a portion of the
day. If you want to check out the information for the event, we've put
together a website and facebook for the festival: http://www.lightsteprightstep.org/.
And if you have any ideas for musicians or other groups that might be
interested in participating, they would love to hear them. ]]>http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/05/light-step-right-step.html
http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/05/light-step-right-step.htmlGreen livingSustainabilityFri, 04 May 2012 16:07:35 -0500Student Health Center energy audit results show marked improvementThe Penn State Student Health Center recently received the results of a University energy audit. Kilowatt hours (KWh) used at the health center for 2011 totaled 760,894. The number of KWh hours of energy used in previous years were 862,511 (2010) and 980,896 (2009)...http://live.psu.edu/story/59292#rssuniversity_health_services]]>http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/05/student-health-center-energy-audit-results-show-marked-improvement.html
http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/05/student-health-center-energy-audit-results-show-marked-improvement.htmlStudent_Health_CenterWed, 02 May 2012 15:18:17 -0500New Sustainability Signage in the Student Health CenterEach week recyclables accumulate near the side entrance of the Student Health Center for pickup. The Student Health Center Green Team decided to use this weekly event as an opportunity to educate visitors and staff about the sustainbility efforts taking place in the building. Green Paws certificates from departments that have completed certification are also displayed here to acknowledge staff successes and motivate other departments.]]>http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/05/new-sustainability-signage-in-the-student-health-center.html
http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/05/new-sustainability-signage-in-the-student-health-center.htmlEducating staff on green initiativesStudent_Health_CenterWed, 02 May 2012 14:53:37 -0500Building a Green House from the Ground UpSome friends of mine are currently building a new home in the Zion area and using almost all of the latest (and some old-fashioned) green technology. It's really a fascinating process to watch and may give you some tips for your next energy saving rennovation or inspire you to think about what your next home could look like. You can check out their blog at http://www.centralpaliving.blogspot.com/. ]]>http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/04/building-a-green-house-from-the-ground-up.html
http://www.psu.edu/dept/sa_sustain/2012/04/building-a-green-house-from-the-ground-up.htmlGreen livingSustainabilityTue, 24 Apr 2012 11:38:54 -0500Earth Day 2012: Remarks from David Gray, Penn State Senior Vice President for Finance and Business/Treasurer72

Thank you and welcome to "Blue White Green:Penn State Earth Day 2012."It is great to be here and see this amazing
sign of a great institution's great commitment to a great cause: that of a healthy and prosperous future on a
blue, white, and green planet.One might
say, the colors of the earth are proof that God is a Penn Stater.

I want to thank the organizers of this event especially
Lydia Vandenbergh of the Campus Sustainability Office who coordinated this
event and Steve Maruszewski, Assistant Vice President, Office of Physical Plant
for his leadership in supporting such an undertaking.

I am still a newcomer to Penn State and have read about the
sustainability efforts here, but walking around these exhibits, I am amazed by
the breadth of people involved, from faculty, staff, students, and the
community. This reminds me of what Ray Anderson, the late CEO of Interface
Carpet, one of the world's leading corporations said about the path towards a
sustainable culture....

"we need a shift that must happen one mind at a time,
one organization at a time, one technology at a time, one building, one
company, one university curriculum, one community, one region, one industry at
a time, one product at a time, until we look around one day and see that there
is a new norm at work and that the entire system has been transformed."

I can see from the activities here that we are well on our
way.

It is my great honor to make two very exciting announcements
today.But first I want to share a few
brief thoughts about this exciting day and what I think it means for Penn State
University.Let's consider the breadth
of our commitment in light of the colors BLUE, WHITE, AND GREEN.....our theme
for this year.

Blue. . .is for
people and traditionally has been a symbol through the ages of the heavenly
realms and humans' highest aspirations.As such it reminds us of ethics of the highest order, a wish for health
and happiness for all.Penn State Earth
Day is about making decisions that continue to better the life of people here
and around the world.Such as the $10
million raised by THON to fight cancer or the $860,000 staff and faculty raised
for Centre County United Way.

White. . . is for
economics and for many cultures the color has often stood for truth and
openness.There is great strength of
character required to build economic well-being on a foundation of transparency
and goodwill.Penn State Earth Day is
about a new bottom line where performance is measured against financial, human
and environmental health.Such as the
$38 million we have invested in energy efficiency, yielding $5 million in
annual avoided costs, and thousands of pounds of reduced emissions.

And Green. . .is
for the environment and makes us think of life and nature.It is our opportunity and our obligation to
support a sustainable relationship between humans and nature.Such as the 8,000 tons of recycling we DID
NOT send 102 miles away to a landfill last year or the protected environmental
resource areas in our campus master plans.

STUDENT
SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP AWARD

This academic year, under the leadership of Vice President
Damon Sims, we formed the Penn State Student Sustainability Advisory
Council.The Council provides
consultation and advice on Penn State sustainability planning, programs, and
initiatives.The Council is comprised of
students with experience and interest in studying, advancing, and promoting
sustainability.The co-chairs are Matt
Barnes and Stefan Nagy.

To cap their first year of work, the Council has created a
Student Sustainability Leadership Tree Award.This award is designed to "recognize students making a difference in
sustainability leadership in the Penn State and/or State College community."Nominations came from peers, professors,
staff, and administrators.Each selected
student selected will have a tree planted in his or her honor on the Penn State
campus.

It is my pleasure to announce the winners of this year's
Student Sustainability Leadership Tree Award.

Peter D.
Buckland, is a Ph.D. candidate majoring in Educational Theory and Policy
from Pine Grove Mills, PA. Peter has led educational workshops about
sustainability issues and is the founder of the 3E-COE club. The club worked
to install water bottle filling stations at numerous campus locations. In
2009, he founded and continues to host a radio show on the WKPS student radio
station called "Sustainability Now Radio". The show features discussions
about timely issues in sustainability. Peter is also active in local efforts to
mitigate potential environmental harm from gas well drilling.

Risa
S. Lisle, is from Gladwyne, Pennsylvania and is a senior majoring in
Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. Risa is the president of the the PSU Center
for Sustainability Organic Community Garden, a group that promotes a number of
sustainability initiatives at Penn State and the local community.The garden group is also successful at
sustainably growing vegetables and teaching organic gardening methods. She also
serves as president of the Penn State Sustainable Agriculture Club and she has
coordinated workshops on sustainable agriculture and helped to raise over
$10,000 to improve the community garden.

George
H. Gard is a senior majoring in Architecture from York, Pennsylvania.
George is one of the founders of SEED: Students for Environmentally Enlightened
Design, a group started in 2009 to encourage students from the departments of
Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Architectural Engineering, and
Engineering to engage in environmentally conscious architecture. George
organized student exhibitions about sustainable architecture and has organized
field trips to architecture firms in Washington DC and Philadelphia. He created
a SEED library project and raised $15,000 to build shelving in a shipping
container for donated books to be sent to a refugee camp in Africa. The project
uses recycled materials and includes photovoltaics to power electrical
lighting.

REINVENTION FUND

The other very exciting announcement is the creation of TheRe:Invention Fund, a financial catalyst to empower transformative
sustainability initiatives at Penn State.

The Fund will be used to make targeted investments in a
broad portfolio of sustainability projects in education, research, outreach and
operations. I am very pleased to see the
creation of a financial mechanism that will incentivize the kind of
collaborative, transformative projects to direct our imagination and
intelligence at the goal of a sustainable future.\

To generate seed money for this fund, we are holding a
silent auction on a one-of-a-kind table made from one of the Old Main
Elms.This is a very unique
opportunity.Many thanks to Philip
Melnick and the Alumni Association for partnering with us on this effort.For information on bidding, please see the
Sustainability Strategic Plan table.

CLOSING

In closing, let me say how proud I am as both an alumnus and
an officer of Penn State University of the leadership profile we have
established in our commitment to sustainability and to environmental
stewardship.True stewardship starts
with each of us as individuals--a willingness to commit to transformation and
behavioral change at a personal level.Until individuals and their attitudes and behaviors change, genuine
institutional change is nigh on to impossible.It is clear to me that Penn Staters are embracing that change, and
they--we--are driving the University and our world toward a better, safer, and
more sustainable future.The "Power of
One" multiplied and cast in shades of blue, white, and green--something we can
all be proud of!